Baroness Finlay emphasised the role that hospices have as an important source of expertise in palliative and end-of-life care, available to professionals in the NHS such as district nurses and care assistants.58 NHS England told us how hospices support training NHS professionals in palliative and end-of-life care skills and how to work in community settings.59 In lots of places, hospices are the providers of 24/7 palliative care advice and support lines, offering telephone support for patients and their families that can help avoid people being taken to A&E unnecessarily.60 53 Qq 9 and 50-51 54 Q 74 55 Letter from NHS England, 16 January 2026 56 Qq 30-31, 43-44 and 66 57 C&AG’s report, para 5 58 Q 12 59 Qq 3 and 53 60 Qq 21, 35 and 69 16